I guess I can recap this–I didn’t race but I was at there all morning as my husband and some friends ran the 5k, my 4 year old ran the kids’ dash and I ran the 1-mile with my 6 year old.

I’ve said before, I love this race. Such a fun vibe and so good for families. The first time I ran it it was in downtown Oakhurst and the vibe was much… funkier, I think only because everything was squished together and it really felt like a community event. The second time, it was in Candler Park, it was freezing cold and pouring—and I do mean pouring–down rain, and I’m sure it was smaller because lots of people (including me) just didn’t even bring their kids out in the weather. BUT there were biscuits and cranberry apple butter from The Flying Biscuit AND an at-that-time PR so hey, it was a great race in my book. Riiiiight?

The 5K

This year’s race was held at Coan Park, and I think it was great in every way except that the area with all the ‘stuff’ was so far from the start and finish lines. When all was said and done, we didn’t even bother walking back to hear if we’d won any of the many door prizes because it was just so far away (in reality, it was only across a small field, but with all the kids and the activities of the morning, it was just too much to ask). I ran TO the race from the house since I was on kid duty while my husband ran the 5k. I managed to beat my family there and got our bibs. Lots of great freebies and samples at the registration area. It was a small race, so getting bibs and the coveted Pete the Cat shirt was easy. Met up with the father of a friend of my daughter’s–he was running the 5k and I’d offered to watch his kid, too. Found my family and got husband bibbed up and off to the start. The kids played with some sidewalk chalk while I drank my chocolate milk and got all organized from the kid hand-off. Then we headed to the finish area to wait for the fasties to come in.

The first-place finisher blew past us and–no joke–was probably two minutes ahead of anyone else. Yow! Go you, dude! The dad of the girl I was watching was the next of the runners I knew to finish. Next up my faithful marathon training partner Katie came down the path. We were with her husband and cheered her on like mad. She got a modern-day PR and helped pace a 12 year old girl to her own PR and age group win. THAT’S my friend Katie. Then my husband, who PR’d by a good 4 minutes over the last 5k he ran–and on what was apparently a pretty hilly route. He’s a yo-yo runner and I love to see him doing well AND enjoying it. Marla bettered her time from her recent first 5k, so everyone I knew had a great race, with a group of very cute cheerleaders to high-five them at the end!

The One-Mile Race

We waited for the 5k to wrap up so they could start the one-mile race. I had an experience with this that will end up being an entire blog post on how to race, and how not to race, with little kids. The end result of this run with my daughter was absolutely fantastic, but the other .8 miles was pretty rotten.There were tears. There were teachable moments. And at the end of the day, she says she had fun and wants to do it again. I’ll take some of those lessons to my own running and I’ll remember the last dash to the finish and the look on her face. The rest, I will talk about in that blog post. Wait for it…wait for it…

In the meantime, enjoy this look of glee on a young runners face, and notice the crowd support she’s getting. Isn’t that how running should be?

Next up:

The Kiddie Dash

Standard kiddie dash. Plenty of room for the kids to move and for the parents to watch without being in each others way. They did under 5’s first, then over 5’s. I think probably doing 3 & under, 4-5, and 6 and up would’ve been a little more efficient, but the kids weren’t complaining. All the kids got a laminated ‘medal’ on a ribbon, with the Pete the Cat design. Both the smaller races went off late, so by the time they were over I was pretty done (but I’m sure that’s partly from getting up at 5:30 to do the 8+ miles to the race). It was time to eat.

The After Party

We were a stone’s throw from Ria’s Bluebird, which I’ve wanted to try since I moved to Atlanta in 2000. For some reason we’ve never made it there before, but since we had two families with us who were new to Atlanta it seemed the time had come. It was a great experience–very little wait time (about 30 minutes), considering that we had 10 people and it was 10:30 AM on an incredibly gorgeous Saturday morning. I loved it. I just loved it. Great atmosphere and great food. Great friends. Really, it was a perfect morning. There are generally one or two glorious spring weekends that we get to experience in Atlanta, where everything is just *right.* I’m so glad I got to spend this one with my family and friends.

My dish: Huevos. I’m a sucker for salsa verde and this was an awesome post-run breakfast.

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I’ve been on a streak for the past week. I normally take a rest day or two in a week, but I’ve been wanting to keep my mileage up, and I’ve just been loving running lately, so I’ve been going with it. But with tomorrow being a long-ish run, and with my tensor fascae muscle making it’s usual bit of noise, I figured a rest day wouldn’t hurt me. And it doesn’t, except…

I’ve been out and about a lot today and there have been runners everywhere I look. And I get that angsty jealousy thing going on. Do you know that feeling? It used to drive me crazy, to look at other runners when I wasn’t running. Now… well, nothing has changed. I still get a little twinge. It’s part, “I wish I was doing that” and part “If I’m not running today, am I still a runner?” Yes, even now.

Why is that?

Perhaps it’s because we know the kind of painful pleasure they are experiencing. Perhaps it’s because we feel a little guilty at the idea of rest (a concept that all too many mom runners know). Perhaps it’s because of those streakers we all hear about “Bobby McRunRun hasn’t missed a day of running since 1994! Look how HARDCORE he is!” That stuff definitely gets in my head. But I have to get past it… to say “Good for Bobby McRunRun. I am not Bobby McRunRun.” I am Lindsay, a runner who has taken a day off and is being reminded how much she loves running. I am being reminded of what it is like to eagerly set out tomorrow’s running clothes at 2:30 the afternoon before (true story. My Gatorade is already in my fuel belt bottles, too, and my chocolate milk is ready for when I am done, thankyouverymuch.). I am being reminded that sometimes the missing it is the sweetest part. And tomorrow, when I’m running, as I head up a hard hill, I’ll try to remember this feeling, to be grateful for it, and to know that somewhere, at the same moment, there is surely a non-running runner longing to be in my shoes.

This is one of my favorite races in Atlanta, and I am so excited to be taking part of it again this year. The last time I ran it was 2009, when the race was still held in the fall. I’ve had friends who have sent their kids to this school, and it seems like a neat place for kids to be. The race is commonly known as the “Pete the Cat” race because the illustrator for the children’s books designs the T-shirt. I’ve always liked these shirts better than the Peachtree Road Race shirts. BUT my shirts from previous years swallow me whole. This year, I’m looking forward to actually wearing one in public.

But more than that, I’m excited because this is the first year we will be doing this race as a family! My husband is running the 5k as he amps up his training for Ragnar Chicago. My 4 year old will be running the Kid’s Race. And my 6 year old is gleefully looking forward to running the 1-mile race with me. She is so proud of anything she gets to do with me or that is like me so I am looking forward to making a memory with her.

2. Run Like a Mother Party

The cover of the new book by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell. I love the orange-i-ness of it.

Through the magic of Twitter, I scored myself an invite to a house party next week with Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea. You may know them as the authors of Run Like a Mother and the newly released Train Like a Mother books and the voices behind the Run Like a Mother podcasts. All of those are great resources for women who want to run and need a little help from or camaraderie with others who juggle childcare, husband-care, house-care and self-care to get out on the roads and run. Sarah will be fresh off the Boston Marathon so she should have some great stories to tell. There will be about 50 other runners there, lots of NUUN hydration tablets, and I’m told there will also be swag, so… it should be a sweet little shindig. They will be in town for the Zooma Women’s races that weekend, so if you want to meet them, too, I’m pretty sure the Expo is the place to find them next Saturday.

3. I have legs!

For Ragnar Chicago, that is. Team captain, Tim, has assigned us our legs for the race. I’m Runner Nine. First leg: 8.2 miles, Second Leg: 5.3 miles, Third Leg: 4.8 miles. All on beautiful flat, Upper Midwestern Terrain. Lots of trails, so let’s all cross our fingers that I don’t sprain anything. 🙂 I’m also stoked that my husband and I get to be in the same van as Tim. Remember, I’ve never met him, and he is just such a wealth of knowledge that I’m sure he’ll be excited to push me out of the van on my legs so that he gets a break from all my questions! I’m working to put together a team for Ragnar Tennessee (3 spots left–anyone want to join us?) so I’m excited not only to run Chicago but also to figure out how to do things right so my TN team will have a great time, too.

More to come on all of those as they happen. If you have any advice on making a relay great from either a runner or captain perspective, let me know!

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That is something new for me. The last time I remember running on a Sunday morning was in November 2010. It was early, it was dark and I hated it. Then when I got home, and later at church, I felt rushed and tired. I said I would not do it again.

That was a long time ago.

This past Sunday, I got up, did my usual pre-run routine of prayer, coffee, getting ready and getting out the door. Four miles breezed by, as the sun rose and the nieghborhood awoke. I saw a couple of other people out walking, taking the dog out, and just a few cars on the road. I got back in plenty of time to get myself and the kids ready, and we actually ended up being early for church. On top of that, I was alert and happy while helping teach the 3 year olds, and felt clear-headed and cheerful for the whole day. I think that, sometime since the marathon I’ve realized that if I want to achieve my running goals I am going to have to run smarter and run more. Given our family’s time constraints, that will mean more mornings, and even earlier. I am just thrilled to be able to do it and even enjoy it. So, here are some ideas that made it easier for me to get my (important) run in while still being in good shape for (more important) worship.

1. Get the kids’ church bag ready the night before.

2. Set the kids’ outfits out the night before–including shoes. Then set out your own outfit, too–including shoes, jewelry and other accessories.

3. Have an easy breakfast plan in place–Sunday is Cereal Day in our house anyway, so that was not a difficult thing.

4. Figure out what time you need to be home (including time to stretch and get settled back in) and get back by then, even if you have to cut the run short a bit.

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Attention, tight glute muscle that doesn’t like to release: I see you, and I’ll raise you by a tennis ball that I sit on while I drive. I guarantee you that I am just as stubborn, but more creative, than you. Hurmph.

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I figure I’d be able to sleep until the alarm went off–I was dead tired, and this was not a race I was worried about. Coming two weeks after the marathon, and really just as a reason to get away with my sister to Charleston, I knew months ago that I’d be making a game-time decision of whether to race it, or just run it. But last week I was feeling good and strong again, and I wanted to challenge myself at a shorter distance, and one that is, let’s face it, just not as common. But still, I wasn’t worried about it…so why did I end up wide awake at 4 AM? Our alarms and wake up call were set for 5, and as soon as my sister’s went off and she groggily rolled over as I fired up some Van Halen “Jump” for her. Lesley laughed and laughed–she gets me and that makes me so grateful that she is my sister!
I got ready and went out to do a little warm up before we left the hotel.

There were so many people already making their way to the shuttle buses. Lesley and I got ready (see picture of us being ready) left the hotel at 6 and headed toward the boat dock where the Spirit of Charleston would take us to Mount Pleasant.

It was still dark but we could see the outline of the bridge in the distance. So beautiful and exciting!

A woman next to us on the ferry chatted us up the whole time and soon enough we were on the other side and waiting for buses to take us the last two miles to the start.
The last two miles, though, took a little bit of forever! We lurched and stopped for about 25 minutes before we were dropped off… at 7:45…all the way at the end of the corrals. We both really needed to use the porta-potties and it was pretty clear that that was not going to happen if we were going to get to Corral B by the beginning of the race. We started booking it toward the start line, and ended up in bottleneck after bottleneck. It was edging closer to 8 AM, but I knew there were bathrooms close to Corral A and my hunch was the lines for those would be shorter. We heard the first announcement that the race would be delayed as we got in line. Saved! Little did we know how much meandering we could have done and still made it to the start line before the race started. We got in our corral and were met by another announcement that the race was being delayed as they could not yet close the bridge. Strange, considering what a big deal this race was to the city. They made it sound like an outside entity was keeping them from closing the bridge and starting the race. Then they let the wheelchair racers go but still no start for the runners. They kept stressing that it was for our safety, but then the female announcer started to reassure us that the race would start ‘momentarily.’ She did it multiple times.. and each time a space of about 10 minutes would pass. This was what was considered momentary? Finally, the crowd, clearly growing more restless–get this-started booing her every time she or the male announcer said anything. I’ve only been kind of freaked out about crowd behavior in a race once before, when the line for the shuttle buses in the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 had no one directing or qeueing them.

Note the time on the clock above–8:30 and still no sign of the gun…

Guess we have time for another picture…

…and I’m just gonna sit down on the street and wait (kept me out of the wind and the sun, too).

Thankfully, there was no Runner Riot, and they let the elites go at about 8:57. My Garmin says I crossed the start at 9:02. I can’t remember the last time this early morning runner started a run so late! The road was wide, we were at sea level, and it took no time for the crowd to spread out enough to feel free. Thank you, Charleston. Lots of crowd support on this side of the bridge, and the way was flat. I did have a strategy going into this race, and it was inspired recently by my Facebook friend/Ragnar Chicago team captain/Triathlon Beast Tim Bernardo:

“Just want to add something I learned today…more like something I knew but was too stubborn to do. I’ve always took these shorter races and went out too fast only for the rest of the miles to each be slower. Today I had two goals, one was a realistic goal (based on my recent 5k time) and a stretch goal. The stretch goal wasn’t so much of a stretch that it couldn’t be reached so I went out at that pace and just held it as long as I could, which turned out to be all the way to the finish line.

So, comparing all the short races I did recently, today has been my best result yet. Going out too fast will kill your race and will most likely keep you from hitting your goal. So, determine your goal time, get the mile pace for that goal time and stick with it. It might seem easy in the beginning but come the end it will be tough, but not tough enough that you can’t keep that pace.”

With that in mind, and with a goal in mind of going sub-1:00, I wanted to do the first 3 miles at 9:40 and the last 3.2 at 9:30 pace. It REALLY was hard to go slower on that nice, flat, open first 1.5 miles. Then the climb up the bridge started. It’s a full mile up to the midpoint of the bridge, at 4% grade. I’d told myself quite vehemently, that it was no big deal; that I run worse in my sleep here in Atlanta.

Guess what? I totally lied to myself! That bridge is NO JOKE. Garmin data shows a gain of 130 feet in .4 miles. I was pushing it, hard, in some warm temps and with some fairly serious wind, and yet, that mile I still averaged a 10:11 pace. Not bad, all things considered, but still, enough to mess with my plan. And enough to get in my head. Here was the dialogue in my head:

Self A: “You can do this.” (this being sub-60)

Self B: “You cannot do this.”

Self A: “You can DO this! You can do this! You’ve run a marathon!”

Self B: “But… I just ran that marathon TWO WEEKS AGO. I can do this, but NOT TODAY.”

Self A: You. Can. Do. This

In the end, I opted to listen to Self A and keep trying. The great thing about the bridge is that you know that, once you hit the middle of the spires, the hill is over. And then–oh, then!– there is the most awesome downhill I have ever experienced. It’s that same, 4% grade, which kills on the uphill but is gentle to the quads on the downhill, and gives you just enough momentum to maintain an effortless speed for a mile or so. I pushed it and tried to make up some time.

Towards the bottom of the bridge, as we turned into the downtown area of Charleston, I started to feel… weak. The sun was beating down at this point, and I was just in that not-right place. I was carrying water but grabbed some at one of the plentiful water stops just for some extra and to put on my hands and face. At this point, due to the delay, I’d not had anything to eat since my banana at 7:15–nearly 2 1/2 hours earlier. I had packed two Clif Shot Bloks in my pocket, but I’d never tried them before. I bought them when someone told me they kind of melt in your mouth. I knew the weakness and head wars were due to the need to fuel, so I decided to try one. So glad I did, but those things do NOT melt in your mouth! Same consistency as GU Chomps, but hey, it helped for a bit. Grabbed more water and settled in to see what I could pull out in the last mile.

Closing in on mile 6, with my Garmin telling me that I was very close to barely breaking, or barely missing, 1 hour, my head war was something like this:

Self A: You can do this.

Self B: I want to walk.

Self A: WALK?!? You cannot walk.

Self B. Fine, then I want to puke.

Self A: You can’t puke! It’ll cost you time!

Self B. Fine. I’ll puke at the finish line.

Self A: Sounds good. They have medical there. Now, go!

At the six mile marker I pulled out the second Blok and just chewed it like gum the rest of the way in, basically just to give me something to think about other than how much I wanted to puke. I paced off a woman from Atlanta in a Big Peach shirt and followed her in. As we rounded the last corner, two blocks from the finish, I checked my Garmin: 59:43. I counted down in my head and knew it would not be a sub-1:00 finish.

But I did not puke.

Official time: 1:00:13. My heart hurts for those :13, but it was a PR for me, and I think I ran a pretty smart race. And yes, I do wonder if the delay in the start and the fueling issues that come with that cost me those few seconds, but really, what’s 13 seconds when you’re not an elite? (thanks to my sister for reminding me of that).

I really love this race. It’s a great course, and even that rise on the bridge has a reward–a beautiful view of Charleston at the top. The whole city seemed to open it’s doors to us, and be genuinely excited for the runners to be there. The 10k distance meant we could rest a bit and still walk all over that afternoon and evening, seeing what I would argue is the most beautiful and historic city in the South. Also, the finish line festival was amazing–a tractor-trailer length grill with free Johnsonville brats, plus Chick-fil-A and Krispy Kreme donuts there. It was just fun. And if you don’t believe me, here’s the proof:

’cause nothing says running + fitness like the Weinermobile.

AFTER THE RACE

I found Lesley, we tried the brats (full disclosure, I could only stomach about 2 bites. Sorry, Johnsonville.) and went back to the hotel. We stretched in the outdoor patio area they have, where I encountered a group of smug, non-racing men, one of whom said, “You’re stretching?!? Are you HURT?” He also asked me about my time, to which my sister replied “A lady never tells.” Have I mentioned I love my sister?

Back at the hotel, we showered and she napped, and when she got up she was… not right. Dehydration is almost always my first choice in running-related ailments, so I got some bottled water and parted with some of the new NUUN I just got, and also got her a Coke to drink. Then I barked at her to keep drinking till I felt like she’d made a dent in the deyhdration. She was still tired but would not go back to sleep, so we walked. With large, 2-liter water bottles, we walked. And shopped. And drank our water. And walked, and shopped. bought two Athleta tops from a catalog mistake store called Oops. And ate a chocolate croissant from Caviar and Bananas. Delish. More water. More walking. More shopping. Then it was time for dinner at Slightly North of Broad (SNOB).

I can’t really say enough good stuff about this restaurant. Delicious little cornbread bites in the bread basket. Then an appetizer of Sweet Potato Ravioli. Lesley got the Blackened Amberjack that was on a bed of vinegar-laden, wilted chard. I got the shrimp and grits, which was actually Shrimp and Sausage and Ham and grits. Then we split the Key lime Tart with a Pecan Sandies crust. I’m a terrible blogger who forgot to take pics of everything but the pie.

We walked back to the hotel, with the intention of getting a cab at some point, but never did. I’d say all told, we put about 10 miles under our feet on Saturday. We were exhausted, but the fun-to-exhaustion ratio was so well worth it. If you get the chance–do this race, and make an awesome weekend of it. Cooper River Bridge Run, we’ll be back!!!

I am a little sad to be writing these posts because it means my wonderful runcation with my sister is over. This was our first ever Sister Day celebration, and I had a great time. I can’t speak for her, but she laughed a lot so I think she had fun too. We got the idea from Rose, a wonderful woman I know who organized Sister Day celebrations for her girls, who are now very close teenagers. My girls had their first Sister Day last year, and my sister Lesley and I liked the idea so much that we decided to have one of our own–and make it a Runcation. Charleston’s Cooper River Bridge Run (a 35-year-old 10k) had a booth at the expo for the Peachtree Road Race last year. Since neither of us had been to Chucktown before, it was decided.

We left later than anticipated on Friday, but we had First Wave on Lesley’s XM radio, so it all works out, right? We were in a good mood:

We brought snacks:

The Archer Farms Dark Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix is pretty incredible. I love it so much that, like a beloved lipstick color, I am sure it will be discontinued soon.

Lead Foot Lesley got us near Charleston pretty fast, where we saw the incredibly gorgeous James Ravenel Jr bridge from the interstate. We also saw a ton of Friday/Spring Break/Big Race traffic. Never fear, I put my ninja navigational skills to use and we were at our hotel pretty quickly. Lesley scored us a sweet deal on the hotel that: 1) backs up to Marion Square (where the finish line festival is), 2) is two blocks from the expo and 3) is 4 blocks from the ferry boat that would take us to the start on Saturday. And by ‘sweet deal’ I mean she got us $800 worth of hotel for free with Hilton points. Sister Day for the win! We threw our bags down and headed to packet pickup and the expo.

Packet Pickup: Smooth and easy. Expo: madhouse. CRBR is moving the location next year and I think it’s a smart move. It was way too crowded. And I have a theory that overcrowding makes people act like uncivilized nincompoops. Example: the women hoarding free Chobani and pretzels as though they had no hope of encountering a grocery store for the next two weeks. It’s just unbecoming.

Luckily, my nerves didn’t give out before I completed my main mission: buying running sunglasses. I’ve never run with sunglasses before and wanted to pick up some cheap ones to try–someone has warned me how bright it can be on the bridge. I also got a visor; again, something to try out as the weather warms up. My hunch is I will hate the visor, but it was only $10. You can see in the pic the race shirt and bag. The artwork on both is gorj.

The whole city seems to get excited about the race:

Billboard on the interstate:

Our initial plan was to go to the Taste of the Bridge Run at the expo. But after leaving Atlanta late it wasn’t happening. It was nearly 8:00 when we got out of the expo, and we still hadn’t eaten. Pre-race dinner time for me is 5:00 so we headed out for Kickin’ Chicken on King Street. Ordered fried pickles (a potentially bad pre-race pick, but so worth the risk). Unfortunately we waited 45 minutes for our sandwiches and still our table looked like this:

The money you see is what we left for the pickles before we walked out. We split a burrito from Moe’s in our hotel room. So much for our first night in a great food city.

After laying out clothes and bibbing up, we went to bed way too late–10:30 for a 5 AM wake up call. At least it was good sleep!

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